A concept for a literature information database is presented. The idea is to meet the gap between the requirements of an information society, where an uncomplicated access to information represents a key success factor, and the reality of information and literature management in organisations.

The approach of the concept is to create not only an application, but rather a working tool which enables employees to initiate communication processes, to optimize self-organisation (by creating i.e. to-do-documents, to delegate tasks without leaving one’s working place), and last but not least to simplify access and management of every employee to literature documents. As well reference data or full-texts could be retrieved and directly used for own texts.

The integration of the database in organisational processes and via data-exchange in existing applications is nevertheless an important aim. Through this integration a maximum of benefit for the organisation as a whole could be achieved.

The databases allows organisations to centralize the literature information in order to get more transparency, initialize learning and communication processes by achieving something comparable to a ‘collective organisational memory’. The overall aim is to increase the know-how and the responsiveness of the organisation.

The principles characteristic for the internet networking, virtuality, selforganisation and personal commitment are realized. Vituality is achieved by participation of remote users and by referencing literature which in fact could be found at distributed places. Concerning the principle of selforganisation the info-database offers different and flexible ways to organize one’s own literature documents. By managing it with the info-database, the whole organisation will profit. Personal commitment is shown by everybody’s working with a groupware product while using it in the spirit as a team working tool.

After all, the technical concept enables a flexible development of the organisation : remote working places or virtual project team could profit from this form of database.